Frederick County, Maryland, Data Center Zone Expansion Faces Referendum and Legal Challenges
Frederick County, Maryland, is facing significant local opposition after its County Council voted to expand a data center development zone. Residents are concerned about environmental impacts from a brownfield site, diesel generator emissions, water usage, and noise, and have successfully petitioned for a referendum to veto the council's decision, which has led to legal challenges.
Residents in Frederick County, Maryland, particularly in Adamstown, are actively opposing the expansion of a data center development zone. In December, the Frederick County Council voted to expand the designated zone by 1,000 acres, bringing the total to nearly 2,000 acres, prompting significant local pushback.
Steve Black, chair of the Frederick County Data Center Referendum Committee, expressed concerns about potential contamination from a brownfield aluminum smelting plant site where a hyperscale data center is under construction. Environmental worries also include emissions from massive diesel backup generators, significant water consumption, and issues with stormwater management and wastewater treatment capacity highlighted by aquatic ecologist Kevin Sellner. Noise and light pollution from the facilities are also key concerns for residents like Betty Law and environmental science professor David Tilley.
Despite the economic benefits cited by Kelly Schulz, CEO of the Maryland Tech Council, including job creation and tax revenue, residents gathered over 21,000 signatures to place a referendum on the November ballot, allowing voters to veto the council's decision. Following the approval of these signatures by the county Board of Elections, multiple legal challenges were filed by property owners near the data center zone, with a judge's ruling pending. Christian Benford, a candidate for Frederick County Council, criticized the council's lack of responsiveness to constituents and advocated for stricter environmental safeguards.